Sarah Protzman Howlett

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project manager Jason Ragolia knew his team had to stay focused to deliver 100-year storm protection in record time to the residents of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. So he put a mantra on his office wall: We all want to be rowing in the same direction. It was an apt metaphor for the his- toric task that lay ahead: building a barrier to stop storm surges from advancing farther inland from the Gulf of Mexico and wreaking havoc on New Orleans and its environs, as waters stirred up by Hurricane Katrina did in 2005.